My present invention relates to a collapsible drinking and/or storage receptacle and, more particularly, to a drinking cup or like vessel which can be collapsed to a substantially flat configuration.
Collapsible drinking cups utilizing telescoping structures and conical cups with circular segments which seal relative to one another as the cup is extended are known in the art. Other collapsible receptacle configurations are known as well. Reference can be had, for example, to U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,211 which relates to a collapsible bottle in which the bottle wall inverts as the bottle is collapsed or has one section of larger diameter adopted to fit over a section of smaller diameter and connected continuously thereto. The bottle is made from plastic.
That patent discusses other container geometries which permit collapsing and extension of the container, including U.S. Pat. No. 2,880,902 which utilizes a bellows construction for a drinking cup. A tubular plastic container having spiral ridges is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,723,779, also mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,211, and a number of other foldable or collapsible container designs are mentioned in that patent as well.
Reference may also be had to a drinking tube and container system which permits collapsing of the structure and to baby bottle designs which are collapsible (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,125 and the earlier patents described or mentioned therein).
Notwithstanding the considerable art with respect to collapsible containers, there remains the need for a collapsible container which is stable, reliably sealable, compact in its collapsed or contracted position and capable of extension or expansion into a conveniently usable receptacle for beverages and the like as well as for storage and other receptacles capable of being collapsed and effectively stored in the flattened state.
It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide a collapsible receptacle which is free from the drawbacks of earlier receptacles and containers, which can be manufactured at low cost, can be collapsed to an especially thin and flat structure, is of light weight and has an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Another object is to provide an improved collapsible drinking cup which can be utilized repeatedly and over long periods of time without a tendency to leak, is convenient to use and can be collapsed and erected in a simple way.
It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved storage container which, when not in use, is itself capable of storage in a small space.
These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are attained, in accordance with the invention in a collapsible container which has a wide mouth and a small bottom and a plastic continuous membrane wall connecting the bottom with a rim of the mouth and which is collapsible so that, in the collapsed position, the mouth rim is coplanar or substantially in the same plane as the bottom. According to the invention, a resilient cup-shaped body of a silicone rubber or other shape-memory synthetic resin is provided between the rim and the bottom and can fold between the cover and the bottom disks so that it automatically can spring from its compacted position into its extended position while the membrane of the wall maintains a perfect seal between the ring defining the mouth and the bottom.
According to a feature of the invention, the cup-shaped body is formed with a helical corrugation to enable the membrane wall to collapse between the cover and bottom disk in an ordered manner.
According to another feature of the invention, the bottom of the cup is formed by or is bonded to a disk-shaped member which is engaged with another annular disk shaped member formed by or at the rim of the mouth, the two disk shaped members being interconnectable by a releasable catch which can retain the cup in its compact or contracted position.
A removable lid may span across the mouth of the cap to seal the latter in its closed position when, for example, the cup contains a beverage and the user wants to transport that beverage from one location to another.
The lid itself can be connected to the upper disk by a hinge or catch system as may be convenient. All of the parts of the cup may be composed of a synthetic resin material and can be injection molded or extruded so that the overall cost of the collapsible cup is at a minimum. The lid and bottom of the cap may be formed with a logo, design or legible matter by embossing or in the molding process or by a printing process, representing a distributor of the cup as a promotional item or otherwise.
The principles of the invention are applicable, as has been noted, to containers generally and especially to food containers such as refrigeration and storage containers which must be sealed and which must protect the food therein against loss of moisture or penetration of moisture or air into the container.
While in the case of a cup, the resilient membrane body may have a generally circular cross section, in the case of food containers, the membrane body may have a rectangular cross section or a spiral, an oval, or other cross section as may be desired.
The lid or cover of the container should be capable of sealing to the top rim of the body.
According to a feature of the invention, the lid can be removed or a straw-receiving hole in the lid can be provided to allow a beverage to be sipped through the hole.